Chimney cap



E. w. KEPPLE Sept. 7, 1948.

CHIMNEY CAP 2 Sh eets-Sheet 1 Filed March 5, 1945 I I I Sept. 7, 1948. E. w. KEPPLE CHIMNEY CAP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5, 1945 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 7, 1948 OFFICE CHIMNEY CAP Ezra W. Kepple, Greensburg, Pa. Application March 5, 1945, Serial No. 581,100

4 Claims.

My invention is an improvement in ventilating chimney caps for terminal application to the outlet conduit of gases of combustion, as a flue or stack, to improve the draft thereof.

More particularly it is designed for use as a chimney cap for house flues made of brick or other refractory material, and is especially designed to assist and control the draft under all weather conditions. Generally stated the device consists of a hollow coping or cap of concrete, terra cotta, sheet metal, or other suitable material having a supporting base and of particular external and internal sha e best adapted to effect the desired results, as shall be more fully hereinafter described.

' The present invention is designed to supplement the invention of myprior Patent'N 0. 2,183,- 402 by improvements in the chimney cap over the construction therein shown and described, and arising from practical use and installation of the same in large numbers, during the intervening period.

Referring to the drawings showing the present construction:

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section of the cap as made of concrete in position upon an outlet flue or chimney.

Fig. 2 is a half section of same in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 4 is a reduced perspective view of the cap in position.

Fig. '5 is a sectional view like Fig. 1 showing the cap as made of sheet metal.

Fig. 6 is a 'half section view of construction, like Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a half plan view of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional detail view on the line VIII, VIII of Fig. 6.

The device, when made of concrete or terra cotta, is adapted to be set upon the top course of a chimney 2 of brick or other material with an intervening mortar or cement binder 3 having an interlocking projection.

It is generally square or rectangular in plan View, provided with a surrounding substantial base 4 which preferably overlaps the outer edges of the chimney, protecting it and the mortar from weather effect.

The main hollow interior of the cap is defined by initial vertical base wall surfaces 5 which define a rectangular opening 12 which is materially larger in cross sectional area than that of the flue opening a of the chimney for which the cap is designed.

Upwardly beyond the vertical walls 5 the addithe sheet metal tional height of the cap, exceeds that of the base wall surfaces by say. 50% more or less, is inwardly sloping as shown, and the interior areas are defined by the equilateral inner wall surfaces 6. These converge towards the final diminished outlet openings 0, which opening is materially less in area than area a of the flue, and of course even more greatly reduced beyond that of the base area b of the cap.

The outer faces of the cap, and the walls themselves, are generally conformable with its inner faces downwardly from the sharply defined outer bevel edge terminal 1, toward the main thickened base 4.

The walls increase in thickness as shown, the outer surfaces being substantially straight or slightly concaved, and terminating in scotia curves 8, forming streamline concaved contours on all four sides. In such respect they are generally similar to the outer base formation, as previously, and by such formation wind currents from either of the four directions are disposed to pass along any particular one of the four exposed sides, upwardly and inwardly towards the top, as indicated by the arrows.

For the purpose of providing supplemental wind control and lateral upwardly converging restriction, each of the several corner edges of the cap is provided with comparatively narrow outwardly extending webs or fin-like flanges 9, extending from top to close to the bottom of the cap. Thus the surfaces and corner webs 9 merge into the rectangular main base 4, of heavy substantial construction, as shown. I

The base is provided with interlocking grooves ID as before, for effective mortar-joint connection with the fiue walls, the bases preferably extending beyond same as shown.

In the construction shown in Figs. 5-8 inclusive, the cap is made of sheet metal, maintaining the same general surface proportions, except that the wall thicknesses are greatly reduced. Thus each of the four sides of the cap terminates in outwardly bent flanges I l, which are connected together as by rivets I2, or welding, or otherwise. Such flanges when together provide the corner webs or fins 9a and co-operate in the same way with the outer wall surfaces as in the case of the solid integral concrete types.

If desired, the base portion 4b of the sheet metal constructions may be provided with an inner filling l3 of concrete, thus stabilizing and strengthening the entire cap, and also providing the inner straight faces 5a.

The modified construction as above described has given materially improved results in practice, arising from the relation of the cap to the flue, and in the simpler and more efficient form of the cap itself, either in concrete or sheet metal form.

Thus, due to the greatly increased comparative interior base area b of the cap immediately beyond the relatively restricted area a of the flue, gases of combustion, upon entering zone I), may expand materially under the upward impetus of the rising column in the flue. Thereafter, upon entering the upper sharply restricted zone and towards the finally restricted, or utmost in area reduction 0, of the final discharge outlet, the gas column will be not only greatly restricted, but With a corresponding acceleration of speed.

When operating during wind currents, either of mild or strong force, these are directed upwardly and slopingly across the final gas exit, with resulting increase in their effect in passing upwardly over one or both concaved faces of adjacent walls, as described, with suction effect on the gas.

The corner flanges are further useful in stiffening and bracing the cap at each such corner, and add to the architectural appearance of the device.

The improved construction of the cap as a separate unit may also .be utilized in plural embodiment, for application to two or more adjacent fines of common type, by combining the individual caps in a connected laterally arranged series, integrally or otherwise connected, and spaced to cor respond to the flue spacing, for direct application thereto. In such constructions the endmost wind deflecting faces as well as the side faces of any two or more connected units, will be equally effective to utilize wind currents from all four directions, or intermediates thereof.

While the general proportions of either form of the device should be approximately as illustrated, it will be understood that they, or matters of size, dimensions, material, or other incidental matters may be changed or varied from withoutdeparture from the principle of the invention .and within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a chimney top having a single normal flue opening, a superimposed rectangular cap mounted thereon having a substantially reinforced supporting base and upwardly and inwardly inclined walls converging towards a terminal exit opening between bevel edge wall terminalsand surrounding a lowermost maximum circulation area greater than that of the flue and converging to said terminal opening of an area less than that of the flue, the corner portions of the cap .having freely exposed outwardly extending wind arresting and guiding extensions continuous from the reinforced base to the wall terminals.

2. In combination with a chimney top having a single normal flue opening, a superimposed rectangular cap mounted thereon having a supporting base and upwardly and inwardly inclined integral walls converging towards a terminal exit opening and surrounding a lowermost maximum circulation area greater than that of the flue and converging to said terminal opening of an area less than that of the flue, continuous outwardly disposed wind arresting and guiding corner extensions, the outer faces of the walls being upwardly and inwardly inclined between said corner extensions and concaved outwardly of the base.

3. In combination with a chimney top having a normal flue opening terminating in a binder course provided with an interlocking projection, a superimposed rectangular cap mounted thereon having a substantially reinforced base provided with a receiving groove for said projection and upwardly and inwardly inclined walls converging towards a terminal exit opening between the upwardly and inwardly continuously inclined walls, said base, having inner vertical faces and a. circulation area exceeding the area of the flue and continued by the upwardly and inwardly inclined wall races to said terminal opening of an area less than that of the flue, the outer terminal edges of the wall being beveled.

4. In combination with a chimney top having a normal flue opening terminating in a binder course provided with an interlocking projection, a superimposed rectangular cap mountedtherecn having a substantially reinforced base provided with a receiving groove for said projection and upwardly and inwardly inclined walls concaved outwardly of the base and continued upwardly outside and inside and of substantially uniform thickness toward a terminal exit opening, said base having inner vertical faces and a circulation area exceeding the area of the flue, the terminal edges of the wall being inwardly tapered.

EZRA W. KEPPLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 319,074 Crompton June 2, 1885 319,750 Sexton June 9, .1885 519,954 Hodel May .15. 1894 539,471 Cooley May 21, 1895 592,791 Kuhn Nov. 2, 1897 1,181,174 Schuler May 2, 1916 1,923,176 Thordarson Aug. v22, 1933 1,954,877 Kroebig ,Apr. 17, 1934 2,319,884 Robbins May 25, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 161,769 Switzerland Aug. 1, 1933 270,143 Germany Feb. 6, 1914 770,935 France July 16, 1934 

